--- title: One Good Reason to Eat Chocolate Today description: Chocolate-holics, rejoice! New research suggests chocolate may help boost your memory canonical: https://time.com/3619063/chocolate-benefits/ author: Real Simple article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-01-02T12:12:34.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T08:56:25.059Z og:title: One Good Reason to Eat Chocolate Today og:description: Chocolate-holics, rejoice! New research suggests chocolate may help boost your memory og:url: https://time.com/3619063/chocolate-benefits/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6124e145119945b7/69876cc955a8597b43a8485d/chocolate-memory.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: chocolate og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: One Good Reason to Eat Chocolate Today twitter:description: Chocolate-holics, rejoice! New research suggests chocolate may help boost your memory twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6124e145119945b7/69876cc955a8597b43a8485d/chocolate-memory.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # One Good Reason to Eat Chocolate Today by [Real Simple](https://time.com/author/real-simple/) ## Real Simple Jan 2, 2015 12:12 PM UTC  Dark mint chocolate Dark mint chocolateNatalia Campbell of NC Photography—Getty Images by [Real Simple](https://time.com/author/real-simple/) ## Real Simple Jan 2, 2015 12:12 PM UTC _This_ [_article_](http://www.realsimple.com/health/mind-mood/memory/chocolate-boosts-memory) _originally appeared on_ [_RealSimple.com_](http://www.realsimple.com/)_._ As if we needed one more reason to love chocolate, now a new study shows it may hold a bonus health benefit: a memory boost. A [new study](http://www.nature.com/neuro/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nn.3850.html) published in _Nature_ suggests that a compound found in the treat could actually mitigate age-related memory loss. Researchers at Columbia University looked at the brains of 37 50- to 69-year-olds. Half of the participants received a chocolaty, high-flavanol​ (compounds from cocoa) drink every day for three months. The other half drank a similar mix containing far fewer flavanols. Results showed that those drinking the high-flavanol mix exhibited [improvements](http://www.forbes.com/sites/alicegwalton/2014/10/27/compound-in-cocoa-may-reverse-age-related-memory-loss/) on memory tests and higher activity in the [dentate gyrus](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2492885/), a part of the hippocampus linked with memory. In other words, we may be able to use chocolate to help fight normal, age-related memory loss. ([MORE: 5 Surprising Ways to Boost Your Memory](http://www.realsimple.com/health/mind-mood/memory/surprising-memory-boosters?xid=time-rs-111814)) This isn’t the first time chocolate has been linked to our health. Dark chocolate may [help](http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-is-dark-chocolate-good-for-you-thank-your-microbes/) reduce inflammation, and it houses [antioxidants](http://my.clevelandclinic.org/services/heart/prevention/nutrition/food-choices/benefits-of-chocolate), which are thought to help the body’s cells resist damage. [It has also been linked](http://www.rd.com/health/healthy-eating/3-health-benefits-of-dark-chocolate/) to improved mood, heart disease prevention, and protection of the skin from UV rays. ([MORE: 6 Ways to Have Healthy Holidays](http://www.realsimple.com/health/healthy-holidays-00100000070420/index.html?xid=time-rs-111814)) Does that mean these findings are an RX to OD on chocolate? Not so fast. While the compounds found in cocoa may have some powerful memory magic, according to this newest research, a sugar binge isn’t the answer: You’d have to eat about 300 grams of dark chocolate per day, according to [_The_ ](http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/27/us/a-bite-to-remember-chocolate-is-shown-to-aid-memory.html)[_New York Times_](http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/27/us/a-bite-to-remember-chocolate-is-shown-to-aid-memory.html)_._ [A typical dark chocolate bar](http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/sweets/10638/2) contains about 24g of sugar and a whopping 43g of fat. Plus, you’d have to eat about three of those daily to obtain the same amount of flavanols as the study’s participants. As with most things, chocolate is best enjoyed in moderation. ([MORE: How to Keep Things in Moderation](http://www.realsimple.com/health/preventative-health/everything-in-moderation?xid=time-rs-111814)) One Good Reason to Eat Chocolate Today ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3619063/chocolate-benefits/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3619063/chocolate-benefits/"},"headline":"One Good Reason to Eat Chocolate Today","datePublished":"2015-01-02T12:12:34.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T08:56:25.059Z","description":"Chocolate-holics, rejoice! 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